The Veiled Man

by William Le Queux

instructions how to preserve from thetribe the fact that I was absent. Malela was one of the fiercest ofdesert-pirates, as valiant a man as ever drew a _jambiyah_ against anenemy; but when I mentioned my intended visit to the silent legendaryland, the wealth and terrors of which he had heard hundreds of timesfrom the lips of the story-tellers and marabouts, his face paled beneathits bronze.

  "May the One of Praise envelope thee with the cloak of His protection,"he ejaculated with heartfelt fervency. "Have we not heard of the awfultortures of those in the mute land--the mysterious region which theMoors have declared to be the veritable dwelling-place of Eblis, theregion inhabited by those who have served the Devil and refused both theblessings of Allah and the intercessions of his Prophet?"

  "Are not the Azjar without fear, and is not Ahamadou their leader?" Iasked proudly, reflecting upon Nara's marvellous beauty, and feeling anintense curiosity to visit the country wherein no man had hitherto setfoot. Again, had not the Queen of Akkar singled out the Veiled Men ofthe Azjar as her allies against the eaters of unclean meat, the Infidelswhose bodies Allah will burn with his all-consuming fire.

  Again Malela uttered a prayer to the One, as he stood facing the HolyCa'aba, and I, too, murmured a _sura_ as I thrust some cartridges intomy pouch, drew tighter my belt with its amulets sewn within, and buckledon my sword with the wondrous jewel in the hilt--the mark ofchieftainship--for I was to be guest of the Queen of an unknown land.

  Then, with a whispered farewell to Tamahu's son, I stole forth, treadingsoftly among my sleeping tribesmen, and carefully avoiding the sentriesuntil I came to my own swift camel, I mounted it, and a few minuteslater joined my handsome guide. She had already mounted, and hadtwisted a white haick about her face until only her eyes and the row ofemeralds across her brow remained visible.

  It is needless to recount the long breathless days we spent together injourneying westward, resting by day and travelling ever in the track ofthe blood-red afterglow, until we came upon a range of giantsnow-crested mountains, as great as the monster Atlas that loom as abarrier between ourselves and the so-called civilisation of the Franks.

  "Yonder," she said, pointing to them, when first their grandeur burstupon our view in the pale rose of dawn. "Yonder is our land which nonecan enter, save those who know the secret way. There are but twoentrances--one here and the other far south, the way through which theEnglish have unfortunately discovered."

  "Then on all sides but one thy kingdom is impregnable," I observed,gazing with amazement at the serrated barrier, which seemed to riseuntil it reached the misty cloud-land.

  "On all but one," she answered. "Those who know not the secret mustmeet with death, because of the dangers by which Akkar is surrounded assafeguards against her enemies."

  Throughout two days we travelled, slowly approaching the snowy range,and one night we halted beside a narrow lake, beyond which waspractically an impassable barrier of rugged cliffs and toweringmountains. The night was moonless, and as I laid down to sleep, onlythe rippling of the water lapping the pebbles broke the appallingstillness. At last, however, I dropped off into a heavy slumber, andwas only awakened by a strange roar in my ears like the thunder of acataract.

  I put forth my hand and tried to open my eyes, but both efforts werealike useless. To my amazement I found my hands secured behind me, andmy eyes blindfolded.

  Then, in an instant, it occurred to me that I had been entrapped. Istruggled and fought to free myself, for the air was hot and stifling,and I felt myself being asphyxiated with a deadening roar in my ears,and a close indescribable odour in my nostrils. In my attempt to tearthe irritating bandage from my eyes, my head came suddenly into contactwith something soft. I placed my cheek against it, and found to myamazement that I was lying on some kind of silken divan, my headsupported by an embroidered cushion of the kind usual in our harems.But the odour about me was not the intoxicating fragrance of burningpastilles, but a damp mouldy smell, as of a chamber long closed.

  How long my mental torture and sense of utter helplessness continued Iknow not. All I recollect is that, of a sudden, the air seemed fresherand cooler, the thunder of the waters died away instantly, and the smellof the charnel-house gave place to a delicate perfume of fresh flowers.There was a genial warmth upon my cheeks, and I awakened to the factthat the sun was shining upon me, when I felt a hand unloosen thebandage tied behind my head, and heard the voice of Nara say--

  "Lo, the danger is past. Thou art in Akkar," and she drew away thepiece of black folded silk that had held me without vision.

  In abject amazement I looked around stupefied. We were together in akind of boat shaped like an inverted funnel, which opened only at thetop and could be closed at will by a complicated arrangement of leversand wire ropes, a subaquatic vessel fitted with comfortable lounges,having a lighted lamp hanging in the centre. Everything--seats, tables,and all the fittings--swung in rings, therefore, whichever way the boatrolled, even though it might turn complete somersaults, those riding init could remain seated without inconvenience. On looking back I sawthat the narrow stream we were navigating was fed by a mighty torrentthat rushed from the mountain-side, a roaring, boiling flood which sentup a great column of spray, reflecting in the sunlight all the coloursof the spectrum; and I also observed that we had entered the Land ofAkkar by means of that strangely-shaped boat of bolted iron plates asstrong as the war-ships of the Infidels, and were now in a deep andfertile valley, having descended from the lake by an unknownsubterranean watercourse through the very heart of the giant mountain.

  I gazed about me in blank amazement, for even as my conductress spoke,she deftly stretched forth a pole and arrested the progress of the boatat a flight of well-worn steps, while above, my wondering eyes fell uponthe great white facade of a palace with an enormous gilded dome.

  "Yonder is my dwelling-place," she explained with a wave of the hand,and as we stepped upon the bank a crowd of fierce-looking armed warriorsappeared, raising their spears high in salutation.

  "This is Ahamadou," she explained, "the dreaded Sheikh of the Azjar, whohath come to make brotherhood with us. He is guest of Nara, thy Ruler."

  "Welcome, O Ahamadou!" they cried, with one voice. "Of a verity thouart the lion of the desert, for the leader of the Breath of the Windknoweth not fear."

  "I am thy friend, O friends," I answered, as by Nara's side I strodeonward to the wondrous palace, so magnificent, yet of such delicatearchitecture that one marvelled how human hands could have fashioned it.The country I had entered was red with flowers and green with manyleaves; a fruitful, peaceful region, the spires and domes of the greatCity of the Golden Tombs rising in the distance far down the valley,white and clear-cut as cameos against the liquid gold of the sunset.

  Together we ascended the long flight of marble steps which led to thegreat colonnade, and gave entrance to a palace of similar design tothose of the ancient palaces of Egypt in those forgotten days longbefore the Prophet. As our feet touched the last step, the air was rentby a fanfare of a hundred trumpets, causing the valley to re-echo. Thena file of armed men, headed by the blood-red banner of Akkar, lined ourroute, bowing low as we passed on into a hall, high vaulted and ofenormous proportions, in the centre of which stood a wonderful throne ofgold, covered with hundreds upon hundreds of eyes of every variety andsize, wrought in gems to imitate those of human beings and of animals.As I gazed upon it I suddenly recollected what I had heard from thestory-tellers about this wondrous seat of Akkar's Queen. It was theancient throne whereon, for nearly two thousand years, the rulers of theCity of the Golden Tombs had sat, and was known in legendary lore as theThrone of the Thousand Eyes, each eye recording a battle, and beingformed of the greatest gem taken in the loot on that occasion. As Iapproached I saw that some were of diamonds, others of rubies, ofemeralds, of jade, of jacinth, of jasper, of pearl, and of sapphires,each perfectly formed, but some kindly-looking, while on others theexpression was that of terror, of hatred, or of agony, truly thestrangest and weirdest se
at of royalty in all the world.

  Around me the excitement rose to fever-heat as the people assembled, andNara seated herself upon the throne after casting aside thetravel-stained haick she had worn on the journey. I saw everywhereevidences of unbounded riches. The silken robes of the courtiers weresewn with jewels, and as their queen sank among her soft cushions, andher women put upon her necklaces and anklets of enormous worth, thegreat chamber became filled with the clank of arms and the murmur ofmany voices, while I was closely scrutinised and my appearance commentedupon. Suddenly, the great Queen rose, lifting her arms, and with anexpression of uncontrollable anger upon her white face, said--

  "Lo, my people, hear this my word! I have travelled afar into thecountry of our enemies, and have brought hither the person of Ahamadou,their chief."

  "I am not thine enemy, O